The Caledonian

taggart, who died six years ago. Mr. Alexander Reid of Glasgow gave 1,500 guineas for one of his pictures recently; previous to that, another fetched £700 at the M'Culloch sale of 1913; while seven years ago, one of his pictures, entitled "The Storm," brought 675 guineas.

What is called the eternal Irish question, is still with us. A writer in the Glasgow Herald, says: "They have no conscription, no early closing, special dispensation on the drink traffic, her laborers are invited here to replace gallant men who are fighting for us. The whole affair is an utter scandal, a scandal that lies at the bottom of the professional political lawyer. Ireland has only contributed about 105,000 men since the beginning of the war, or about 2% of the population. The recruits from England, Scotland and Wales have exceeded 10% of the population, Scotland alone contributing about 500,000."

Provost Gilmour, Inverary, has received intimation from Lady George Campbell, 2 Bryanston Square, London, who has been associated with Inverary for many years, that she intends setting aside on trust a sum of £1,000 to provide bursaries for pupils attending Inverary Grammar School.

Scotland is still being "sat upon" in the British Parliament. The other day Mr. Eugene Wason asked the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture whether his attention had been called to a speech made by Mr. Maurice, C. B., representing the Board of Agriculture, in which he advocated the abolition of the Boards of Fishery in Scotland and Ireland, in order that there should be one central administration for fisheries, in England. He was also asked if the Government consulted Scottish opinion in this matter, and the reply was, only the English Board was consulted.

What the Edinburgh Evening Dispatch describes as "a London impertinence," is still disturbing the Scottish capital. A large sum of money was collected by "Flag Day" and otherwise, to send Scottish singers to the front to entertain the Scottish regiments. At the last moment, permission to use the Huts of the Y. M. C. A. was refused unless the whole transaction was through a committee of three, in London, the money to be handed over to them. This of course, was an insult to Mr. Robert Burnett, the eminent Scottish singer, who was at the head of the movement, and at a public meeting, Lord Provost Inches spoke very strongly against this English impertinence, and the matter has not yet been settled.

Sir Eric Geddes has been appointed Director-General of Military Railways. He will act as deputy to the Quartermaster General in matters affecting transport services and will also direct and organize such services in France under the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief. Sir Eric is the eldest son of the late Mr. Auckland Geddes, Edinburgh.

One of the students capped M. A. in Edinburgh University last month, was Miss Kathleen Barbara Kennedy Maclean, daugh

ter of Mr. Maclean, formerly headmaster of Tarradale Public School, Muir of Ord, now residing at Canon Bridge, near Dingwall, of whose academy Miss Maclean, like others of her sisters and brothers, was a distinguished pupil. She is the seventh member of her family who has graduated at Edinburgh University.

Interesting letters have passed between Mr. Watt M. P. and M. Paul Cambon, the French Ambassador, relative to the new French War Loan. Mr. Watt wrote to M. Cambon pointing out that the British public was invited to make application for this loan through either the Bank of England or the Bank of Ireland, thus ignoring entirely our ancient Bank of Scotland, established one year after the Bank of England. This, the Scottish people, Mr. Watt went on to state, construe as treating them as a mere province of England, which they deeply resent and, coming from France, their ally of four hundred years standing, they very much regret. Moreover, this action tells against the success of the loan, because the Scottish people as a whole dislike dealing with the Bank of England, as its methods are not their methods. Thus France loses, and the friendship is doubly wounded. He asked that this omission should be rectified in any future issues.

The drink curse is still with us, and the agitation still goes on for prohibition during the war. The licensing courts however, are very erratic, in Glasgow they took away two licenses for breaches of the regulations, and restored them at the next court, also granting new licenses where they were not required. In Dundee, at the local tribunal, they took the only skilled mechanician, Robinson, in the college, and exempted a wine and spirit merchant, Bradley, who had appealed. These public actions are very common all over the country.

83 Jamaica street, Glasgow, November 13, 1916.

JOHN WILSON.

A complete reorganization of the Government of New South Wales was announced November 21st. The change was brought about through a division in the Labor Party on conscription. A new Government has been formed under former Premier Holman. The Cabinet consists of an equal number of Liberal and Labor members, while Mr. Beeby, head of a comparatively new party known as the Progressives, has received the portfolio of Minister for Labor and Industry. Mr. Durack is the leader of the Opposition.

German casualties since the beginning of the war reported in German official lists total 3,755,693 officers and men, according to an official British compilation made public November 10th. Of this total, 910,234 were killed. The figures do not include casualties among the naval forces or the Colonial troops. The German casualties reported by the same source for the month of October total 199,675 officers and men, including 34,321 dead.

Our Glasgow Letter

Mr. Muirhead Bone, of Glasgow, who is one of our finest etchers and has no rival as an unerring and faithful architectual draughtsman, has been selected by the Gov. ernment to make a series of war-drawings at the front, which are to go to the British Museum. For that purpose he has been appointed a second lieutenant, attached to the Intelligence Department of the headquarters staff.

The battle still rages on the Somme, and the following extract will show how the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders made a great stand at one portion of the advance: "The Germans set up uncanny yells for the Kaiser, their country, and anything else that seemed to come into their heads at the time. Firm as a rock the Highlanders stood. The shock came at last. The Highlanders were outnumbered by at least four to one, and they had the disadvantage of being tired from their long period of fighting, whereas the enemy were quite fresh. Still, the Highlanders held their ground. With the bayonet they repelled the attack, and sent the attacking party flying in all directions. The attacks were renewed an hour later, only to meet with a similar fate."

Field-Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood writes under date of October 27 to The Times as follows: "In your issue of to-day appears the interesting record of the posthumous

bestowal of the Victoria Cross on an officer whose father had received it seventeen years ago. The first name in the list of the gal lant fifteen recipients is that of LieutenantColonel J. V. Campbell, Coldstream Guards. I shall esteem it a favor if you will allow me space to state that his father, my staff officer, Captain the Hon. Ronald Campbell, Coldstream Guards, was killed in 1879, when performing an act of extraordinary courage in my presence, and for which, as I reported officially, I should have recommended him for the Cross had he survived; an officer and a private who followed him received the Cross. More appreciative views of noble deeds have now amended the rules of the coveted Order."

Another incident worth recording is a statement by Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, describing two regiments of a foreign Legion now in France: "There are but few Englishmen, because the latter have naturally joined units of their own army, but one battalion is commanded by a Scotsman, who has greatly distinguished himself, and who has been mentioned in dispatches three times. He started life as a second lieutenant in the West Riding Regiment."

A good example to Scottish Societies in keeping alive the traditions of the home

land is given in a conversation with a Scotsman who came home from Bolivia to join the British Army, eighteen months ago. He had travelled over a great part of South America, and he described the methods of the Germans in keeping alive their nationalism. In the most remote places they had their "colony," they maintained "circles," displayed the German flag a good deal, held German concerts, lectures and social gatherings; started German churches, schools and periodicals; had consuls everywhere, and kept up constant communication with the Home Government and home institutions. On the other hand, British people away from the large towns in South America, he said, seldom gave heed to such things. They went their own way, were "swallowed up" in the countries they had settled in, and generally speaking had no national cohesion or machinery for keeping them in touch with their own country.

The Government is being called very hard names at the present time for allowing the food of the people to be exploited, and at Perth the other day, at a meeting convened by Lord Provost Scott they refused to accept the War Savings Committee's thrift scheme. Councillor Macpherson submitted the amendment against forming a local committee and said the Government was foolish to ask support for a scheme of War Saving from the people, when the Government themselves had been guilty of extraordinary extravagance. The amendment against forming a committee was carried by 43 votes to 25.

There is quite a rush of women to study medicine this year; Glasgow is leading the way so far as women students are concerned and the autumn term is likely to be a record.

A sum of £165,000 has been bequeathed to Scottish benevolent institutions and associations under the will of the late Miss Mary Hamilton, 4 Marlborough Terrace, Kelvinside, Glasgow, and of Ascogbank, Bute.

The Carnegie Hero Fund is still doing good work in all parts of Britain. The latest noteworthy case is that of David Henry Forrester, joiner, Moorhouses, Moorpark East, Stevenston, who lost his life while endeavoring to rescue a man from drowning in the Firth of Clyde at Stevenston, Ayrshire. His widow was awarded a memorial certificate and an allowance at the rate of 20 per week, with an additional 2/6 per week for each of her two children under fourteen years, until they respectively attain that age.

There is considerable activity in art circles in Glasgow at the present time, and quite a boom in the works of William Mac